Mark 15:7

15:7 A man named Barabbas was imprisoned with rebels who had committed murder during an insurrection.

Luke 23:18-19

23:18 But they all shouted out together, ¹  “Take this man ²  away! Release Barabbas for us!” 23:19 (This ³  was a man who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection ⁴  started in the city, and for murder.) ⁵ 

Luke 23:25

23:25 He released the man they asked for, who had been thrown in prison for insurrection and murder. But he handed Jesus over ⁶  to their will. ⁷ 

John 18:40

18:40 Then they shouted back, ⁸  “Not this man, ⁹  but Barabbas!” ¹⁰  (Now Barabbas was a revolutionary. ¹¹ ) ¹² 

Acts 3:14

3:14 But you rejected ¹³  the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a man who was a murderer be released to you.

Romans 1:32

1:32 Although they fully know ¹⁴  God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, ¹⁵  they not only do them but also approve of those who practice them. ¹⁶ 

[23:18]  ¹ tn Grk “together, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant and has not been translated here.

[23:18]  ² tn Grk “this one.” The reference to Jesus as “this man” is pejorative in this context.

[23:19]  ³ tn Grk “who” (a continuation of the previous sentence).

[23:19]  ⁴ sn Ironically, what Jesus was alleged to have done, started an insurrection, this man really did.

[23:19]  ⁵ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[23:25]  ⁶ tn Or “delivered up.”

[23:25]  ⁷ sn He handed Jesus over to their will. Here is where Luke places the major blame for Jesus’ death. It lies with the Jewish nation, especially the leadership, though in Acts 4:24-27 he will bring in the opposition of Herod, Pilate, and all people.

[18:40]  ⁸ tn Or “they shouted again,” or “they shouted in turn.” On the difficulty of translating πάλιν (palin) see BDAG 753 s.v. 5. It is simplest in the context of John’s Gospel to understand the phrase to mean “they shouted back” as a reply to Pilate’s question.

[18:40]  ⁹ tn Grk “this one.”

[18:40]  ¹⁰ sn The name Barabbas in Aramaic means “son of abba,” that is, “son of the father,” and presumably the man in question had another name (it may also have been Jesus, according to the textual variant in Matt 27:16, although this is uncertain). For the author this name held ironic significance: The crowd was asking for the release of a man called Barabbas, “son of the father,” while Jesus, who was truly the Son of the Father, was condemned to die instead.

[18:40]  ¹¹ tn Or “robber.” It is possible that Barabbas was merely a robber or highwayman, but more likely, given the use of the term ληστής (lhsth") in Josephus and other early sources, that he was a guerrilla warrior or revolutionary leader. See both R. E. Brown (John [AB], 2:857) and K. H. Rengstorf (TDNT 4:258) for more information. The word λῃστής was used a number of times by Josephus (J. W. 2.13.2-3 [2.253-254]) to describe the revolutionaries or guerrilla fighters who, from mixed motives of nationalism and greed, kept the rural districts of Judea in constant turmoil.

[18:40]  ¹² sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[3:14]  ¹³ tn Or “denied,” “disowned.”

[1:32]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “who, knowing…, not only do them but also approve…” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[1:32]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “are worthy of death.”

[1:32]  ¹⁶ sn “Vice lists” like vv. 28-32 can be found elsewhere in the NT in Matt 15:19; Gal 5:19-21; 1 Tim 1:9-10; and 1 Pet 4:3. An example from the intertestamental period can be found in Wis 14:25-26.